"I thought I was going to have a whole collection of these Stanley Cups but in reality, it worked out a little bit different."

Ozolins suffered heartbreak the following year when the Avalanche was defeated in the Conference playoff final by Detroit Red Wings.

After starting skating at the age of five, it was not until he was 15 that the lure of ice hockey become irresistible.

A number of appearances for the Soviet junior national side followed before army service intervened.

From there it was on to America, where his early success ended up earning Ozolins a $25 million deal with Carolina Hurricanes in 2000.

However, he failed to shine in Carolina and moved on to Florida Panthers in January 2002 before ending up at Anaheim Ducks 12 months later.

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He reached the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals but the Ducks lost 4-3 to the New Jersey Devils, then a serious knee injury wrecked his time in California and he was traded to the New York Rangers in March 2006.

It was there that his off-rink problems began -- he was forced to enter the league's substance abuse program after being found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol.

After taking a year out to deal with his demons, he took up a 12-month deal in a return to San Jose -- but after that rejected the chance to play a further season with the Los Angeles Kings, and instead returned to Latvia in 2009.

But that was not to prove the end of his career -- far from it.

"I took a year off in hockey and basically, I thought I was retired," he recalls.

"That's how I understood it but it turned out that I only took a year off and then the general manager of Dinamo Riga gave me a call and asked when I was thinking about coming home and playing for the team.

As a true veteran of the game, this may be the final time he gets to compete in front of billions watching across the globe.

Latvia is not expected to challenge for a medal at the Sochi Games but the opportunity to appear at the Olympics for a third time is something which Ozolins says he will relish for the rest of his life -- especially after being Latvia's flag bearer at last week's opening ceremony.

"For us to go to Sochi, I only realized when we qualified how much it meant not just to us but also for the people that were at the arena and the whole country," he says.

"We're going to have all these experiences, Olympic experiences. It's indescribable how much energy you get from that.

"Being with the best winter athletes in the world at the time, in the same village, eating lunch next to figure skaters, skiers or bobsled teams, it's -- especially for younger guys but even for me -- it's so much.

"If winning trophies and cups on a club level is one thing, then Olympics is more of a national pride. It's more being there for your country and representing your country."